Tennis racket



V. SPENCER TENNI S RACKET Nov. 3, 1936.

Filed July 3, 1935 Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICETENNIS RACKET Vernon Spencer, Randwick, near Sydney, New South Wales,Australia 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tennis rackets and the like,hereinafter referred to generally as rackets, and has been devised witha view to improving the general construction of the rackets, and ofdevising means whereby the strings may be adjusted as to tension.

An object of the present invention is to provide a racket which may haveone or more of the strings adjusted quickly and readily at any time.

A further object of the invention is to produce a racket in which theframe will not tend to break or crack; in other words the invention aimsat the production of a better and stronger frame than is at present inuse, and in which the stringing is easily effected and may be adjustedfrom time to time.

Further objects of the invention are to provide means in which there areno portions of the strings outside the frame to cut or break as in thecase when the strings pass through slots or holes as in the ordinaryracket frame; and to provide a racket wherein the whole of the stringsor any number thereof may be readily replaced.

According to the present invention the frame may be made in accordancewith the orthodox shapes, preferably of metal, and is provided with asuitable handle.

The frame is provided with means whereby the complete system ofstringing comprising transverse and longitudinal strings or any numberof such strings may be secured with respect to the frame.

The present invention enables a complete system of stringing comprisinga plurality of interlaced transverse and longitudinal strings, each ofwhich, preferably, has anchoring means at the ends thereof to beattached to the frame in an adjustable manner.

The means for anchoring the strings in the frame, may consist of a knotformed upon one end of the respective strings while at the other end ametal fitting is attached to the string, said fitting being disposed inthe frame in a rotatable manner and provided with a pin or other lockingmeans. In some cases a screwed or other fitting may be used foranchoring the ends of the strings to the frame. If desired more than onestring may be attached to a single anchoring fitting.

The strings or string are or is inserted in the frame and are brought tothe desired tension by adjustment of a rotatable fitting.

In one form of the invention the frame of the racket is made from metal,and has a plurality of holes formed therein from the front face to therear face thereof and also has a plurality of holes drilled in the frameat right angles to the former holes.

In use the gut forming the strings passes through the transverse holesinto the frame member of the racket and is anchored at one end.

The other end of the string is secured to a nipple which is inserted inone of the first mentioned holes and round which nipple the slack in thestring is wound by means of a suitable tensioning key, the nipples beingprevented from rotating by suitable pins or stops.

Preferably the string is connected to the nipple by being passed throughsuitable holes bored therein.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into practical effect, reference is now made to the drawingaccompanying and forming part of this specification, wherein:-

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a tennis racket embodying one form ofthe present improvements.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the racket.

Figure 3 is drawn to a larger scale and illustrates in section thepreferred means employed to anchor one end of the strings.

Figure 3A illustrates alternative means for anchoring the strings, asindicated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is also drawn to a larger scale and serves to show one of thenipples constituting the rotatable means employed to bring the stringsto the desired tension.

Figure 5 shows the aforesaid nipple in section.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section taken on the plane indicated by the line6-6 in Figure 4.

' Figure '7 serves to illustrate a modified form of the racket framewhich provides for an alternative method of locking the aforesaidnipples.

Figure 8 is a section of the modified frame taken on the plane indicatedby the line 8-8 in Figure '7; and

Figure 9 is a section of the modified frame taken on the line 9-9 inFigure 7.

Figure 10 shows portion of the racket frame in section and illustrates afitting which enables a single strand of gut to be used to provide apair of parallel strings.

Figure 11 indicates a cross section of the fitting shown by Figure 10.

On reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing it will beseen that the general configuration of the racket conforms to theorthodox shapes now in vogue. The racket illustrated is characterized inthat it has a tubular metal frame l5 the ends of which are encased intwo wood members IS, the latter being bound together and covered with asleeve or wrapped in a suitable strip of material to form a hand gripsuch as H.

In the particular construction illustrated the frame l5 includes atubular member [8 which is inserted in the throat of the racket and isthere welded or otherwise secured in position to take the strain of thecentral members of longitudinal strings I9.

The longitudinal strings l9 and transverse strings preferably eachconsist of a single strand of gut, and in this case they are strung inthe frame 55 independently of each other.

One end of each of the strings l9 and 20 is knotted as in Figures 3 and3A, and these ends of the strings are anchored by means of a socketmember such as 3| (Figure 3) or alternatively by an externally threadedbush such as 2! (Figure 3A), the bushes 2| being screwed into tappedholes 22 arranged transversely around the inner periphery of the frame[5. The other ends of the strings l9 and 20 are passed through diametrically disposed holes in rotatable nipples such as 23 (see figures4, 5 and 6) and are adapted to be held by engagement of the aforesaidtensioning key with said nipples. The said nipples 23 are disposed inholes 24 drilled in the frame l5 from front to rear, and bushes 25 arefurnished to prevent the strings l9 and 29 from beingdamaged by chafingagainst the said frame.

One end of the nipples 23 is drilled and tapped at 26 to provide asocket for a screw threaded tensioning key (not shown) and the other endis drilled diametrically to accommodate a locking pin 27. A plurality ofgrooves 28 are formed transversely of the holes 24 to receive thelocking pins 21.

It will be observed that in Figure 1 the nipples 23 and the bushes 2|for the transverse strings of the racket are arranged in pairsalternately. This arrangement is adopted to preserve balance of theracket about its longitudinal axis.

In stringing a racket according to the present invention the strings areanchored as shown by Figures 3 or 3A though it will be evident that insome cases it may be convenient to anchor a longitudinal string and atransverse string by means of the same bush 2|.

A string having been anchored as explained, its other end is passedthrough the opposite bush 25 and then diametrically through the holesprovided in the adjacent nipple 23 as shown more particularly by Figures5 and 9. The strings are threaded through the holes of the nipples inthe following manner: the nipple 23 is removed from the hole 24 in theframe l5 and the string l9 or 29 is then passed through the bush 25 andthen through the lower hole 24. The end of the string is then threadedthrough the holes in the nipple as shown in Figs. 6 and 9. After thethreading operation the nipple is reinserted in the hole 24 of theframe. To allow of the tensicning operation being performed a key havinga screwed stem is furnished for use with the racket, and when the stringhas been attached to the nipple 23 the latter is rotated by the keyuntil the tension in the particular string is as desired. The nipple 23may then be locked against rotation in the reverse direction by passinga pin 27 through the nipple 23 and allowing the pin to rest in thediametrically disposed groove 28. It will be understood that the mannerof fastening one end of the string in the nipple 23 allows of the stringbeing wound upon itself when said nipple is rotated by means of thetensioning key. This arrangement precludes the possibility of the stringslipping through the nipple when tension is exerted by the key.

The other strings are tensioned in the frame l5 in a similar manner, thelongitudinal strings l9 being interwoven with the transverse strings 29during the process of stringing.

In the construction of frame illustrated by Figures 7, 8 and 9 a narrowcontinuous groove 29 is formed in the face of the racket frame and thewalls of this groove serve as an abutment for the locking pins 21. Thepins 27 in this case do not pass through a hole in the nipples 23, butthe nipples have a diametrically disposed slot 30 (Figure 9) wherein thepins 21 are adapted to be fitted. Tension in the strings l9 and 29 issuihcient to cause the pins 2'! to bear firmly against the walls of thegroove 29 and they are thus retained in position.

In the modification of the invention illustrated by Figures 10 and 11 ofthe accompanying drawing, the strings l9 and 2!) may be arranged inpairs each pair comprising a single strand of gut the central portion ofwhich is passed around a roller or curved block such as 32, disposed inthe racket frame. The tightening of one string in this case will cause asimilar tension to be exerted in the other string of the pair andthereby reduce time taken in tightening the strings.

Other modifications of the invention will present themselves readily andit will be clear that the scope of the invention is not limited to theparticular construction herein described.

I claim:

1. An improved tennis racket comprising a tubular metal frame; membersencasing the ends of said frame to provide a handle to the racket;strings disposed transversely and longitudinally in said frame; andtensioning means in said frame, to which said strings are attached, saidtensioning means including rotatable nipples disposed in holes formedtransversely through the said frame, and each of said nipples having inone end a threaded socket for a tensioning key and having twodiametrically disposed holes to receive the end portion of one of theaforesaid strings, one of said holes being at the inner end of the saidthreaded socket; and means in said nipples to lock the latter againstrotation.

2. An improved tennis racket comprising a. tubular metal frame, membersencasing the ends of said frame to provide a handle to the racket,strings disposed transversely and longitudinally in said frame, andtensioning means in said frame, to which said strings are attached, saidtensioning means including rotatable nipples disposed in holes formedtransversely through the said frame, the said frame having a continuousgroove in its surface between the said holes and disposed diametricallywith relation thereto and locking means in all of the said nipplescooperating with said groove.

VERNON SPENCER.

